Where Miss Snark vented her wrath on the hapless world of writers and crushed them to sand beneath her T.Rexual heels of stiletto snark. The blog is dark--no further updates after 5/20/2007.

1.16.2006

This is your idea of FUN?

I've done a few drafts of my novel and it is very close to finished. I'm going to let it sit until summer, then rework the first chapter and send query letters. I really want to post the novel on the internet between now and this summer. For fun. For feedback. For it to have a little life while it waits for the querying process.So is there any reason for me NOT to do post it, given that you told this person to query on?

Fun? Feedback?from whom?Feedback is valuable only if you know the source.

If that's your idea of fun, here's my address, I have some tile that needs grouting and Killer Yapp needs his fangs sharpened.

You'll recall that the first poster had taken her novel DOWN from the net and was now querying. Putting it up there while you're just starting out isn't quite the same. The last thing you want to do is have your writing sound too familiar in a query letter these days.

14 comments:

Hey Miss Snark! I'm a huge fan! If MTV brought "Fanatic" back, I would write in and ask to meet you!So my comment is this. I think there are exceptions where posting one's work on the web can work out. Stephanie Klein ( http://stephanieklein.blogs.com/ ) got a book deal just by posting her thoughts and little snippets of free writing on line. Her blog became popular, and a publisher approached her about writing a novel (even though she hadn't written one yet!). I'm sure you heard about this, but I though maybe others hadn't.The key of course, would be getting a lot of people to read your blog, which I haven't quite figured out with mine. But it's still fun to post, even if no one is "listening"!Hope your New Year started great. Love the blog, thanks for doing it!

posting your work can make you ineligible for some contests. And most importantly, as Miss Snark said, feedback is only useful if you know who gives it. What you may well end up with is a lot of vanity presses offering to "publish" your work. If you want feedback, it's probably more useful to join a limited access critique group or even get some trusted friends to offer an opinion. I will say that you should definitely solicit Some Feedback before beginning the query process! You'll learn a lot and it will thicken your skin!

Why should a publisher buy the cow when you've given away the milk for free?

Send a copy to a trusted friend for feedback, but never, ever post it on the Net.

In some places this can be considered a "1st printing" - odd but true.

And, oh--hey--there are THIEVES on the Net. One of my buds found a site with her print published book on it; the copycat "writer" taking the credit for her new e-prose changed only the names of the characters. (It was reported to the server and taken down.)

Since that can happen to a print published book do you want it happening to your easy-to-copy posting?

And if one suffers the hopeful fantasy of a working editor like myself spotting your masterpiece and buying it, dream on. Most of us in the industry don't have time to slum the Net. Our offices are already stacked with MS sent in by writers seriously trying to sell their work.

As one of my other buds said, "Writing a book & posting it in hope of selling it is like writing the perfect resume, then tacking it to your front door in hope your future boss will walk past & hire you."

The reason ours isn't on the list is that it was late in the poll by the time I realized that section existed, and because I couldn't nominate both of our workshops - there's also a workshop for folks writing kids' books and YA at our main site.

The writer would do better finding a local writer's group and running through the critique process. The true benefit of using feedback is to GIVE lots and lots and lots of critiques to other people--NOT receive it. Often you will see a problem in someone else's work, and then you will realize that you did the same thing. Posting it online will likely net comments on wording, writing rules, and nitnoid stuff--not on major story problems that are going to get the manuscript rejected.

And why are only rework just chapter 1? It isn't just making sure chapter 1 is good--it's making sure the story works right.

I'd also go with sending it to a friend for feedback, or trying with a writers' workshop. On the 'Net, not only can it be considered as giving in the first print rights (and from what I know, lots of publishers aren't that interested anymore if the novel has already been 'published' like this), but some thief may also stumble upon it and take it as their own. We don't know to which extent a thief is capable to go before it happens, I swear. IMHO, it's asking for more trouble than is worth. (Much unfortunately. I'd love being able to share writings this way without risking anything, but we know the ways of the world...)

Putting your work online won't neccesarily get you the feedback you want. If you really want to, use a reputable online critique group. Those will ensure you constructive criticism you can use instead of messages useless like "Great chapt3r. We wont m0re!!!"